The Iola Register, Sept. 28, 2022

Local volleyball

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register City to extend utilities for future housing

Iola will extend utilities to accommodate what they hope will be new housing de velopment on the north edge of town.

Hurricane hits Cuba, aims for Florida

Dems unveil spending bill

LaHarpe house burns

If untreated, trauma will only intensify Healing, help and hope

By TIM STAUFFER The Iola Register

September is Suicide Pre vention Awareness Month, an opportunity to spread the word about actions we can take to prevent suicide, and to change the conversation to one about healing, help and hope. In that spirit, the Register spoke with Michelle Hoag, clinical director at the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center.

The conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, is also available as a podcast at iolaregister. com/registered, Apple Pod casts and Spotify.

This is a difficult top ic for many of us to talk about. It’s scary, but sui cide has become a huge issue. Suicide is now the

12th leading cause of death in the United States.

What’s behind the rise in suicide rates?

Hoag: There’s a lot of data that shows that after a pan demic, suicide rates spike. I feel that individuals are

dealing with more and more stressors today. There are more life demands that peo ple have to balance. There could also be a history of trauma, and as an individu al ages, that trauma and the impact of it become more

Enrollment up at Iola schools

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

It’s been 15 years since the Iola school district saw an in crease in enrollment.

With the official enrollment count last week, the district saw an increase of 15.5 stu dents (virtual school students are counted at .5 per student).

The last time the district’s enrollment increased was in the 2007-2008 school year.

Superintendent Stacey Fager credited a robust pre school program for the in crease. The new elementary school also may have played a role in keeping students in the district.

“By and large we can attri bute that to getting the word out about the quality of our pre-K programs, and how we’ve been able to attract and keep students in elementary school,” Fager said.

A few years ago, the dis trict transitioned to a pro gram that partners with pri vate preschools to provide the same curriculum to all students at no charge to fam ilies. The goal is to have 100% participation in preschool.

But some grade levels have fewer students compared to last year, which Fager said is partly attributed to high school students choosing to join a virtual education pro

gram. The Iola district is trying to keep those students with programs such as techni cal and vocational programs, credit recovery options and summer school.

Most of the district’s en rollment increase comes at the elementary level, and in kindergarten in particular.

Officially, the district re corded 108 kindergarten stu dents, but that includes many 5-year-olds who are actually in preschool. The state allows them to be counted for fund ing purposes.

The actual count of kinder garten students is 94. That’s still the largest class in the

SUICIDE

City Council members vot ed, 7-0, to extend water, elec tric and street infrastructure through what will be known as Cedarbrook Third Addi tion.

The first two phases of the Cedarbrook Housing Project included dozens of income-based rental homes and then a senior living com plex on what had been Cedar brook Golf Course.

The impetus for Monday’s vote was a recent discussion with a developer interested in initially building at least six duplex rental homes in the area with another possi ble 14 lots available for devel opment.

Assistant City Adminis trator Corey Schinstock es timated the utility extension

Inflation, end of benefits leaves Americans hungry

By MIKE DORNING Bloomberg News/TNS

Hunger is spreading among Americans with steady but low-paying jobs, reversing President Joe Biden’s early success in cut ting food scarcity by nearly a third and threatening to worsen as the country teeters on the brink of recession.

Nursing aides, mainte nance workers, store clerks and roofers are among the Americans already turning to food banks for help, the consequence of political op position to the administra

See HUNGER

Page A6

severe if left untreated. But I think a huge piece is that our world has been in turmoil for

Jason Coke, Iola Middle School assistant principal and athletic director, shows off a trophy made by B&W Trailer Hitches for the winner of a wrestling dual in October between IMS and Hum boldt Middle School. It’s called “Whirlwind on the Southwind,” referring to the Southwind Trail that goes from Iola to Hum boldt. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Michelle Hoag has been with the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center for more than 20 years. REGISTER/TIM STAUFFER

Fire investigator Eric Lawrence surveys the charred remnants of a house at 303 S. Monroe St. in LaHarpe Tuesday morning after it was destroyed in an overnight fire. LaHarpe firefighters were called to the scene at about 2 a.m. and remained there for more than six hours. The house was unoccupied, LaHarpe officials noted. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Obituary

Betty Zink

Betty Lucille Zink, 95, Iola, died Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at Heartland Meadows, Iola. Betty was born Jan. 24, 1927, in Iola, to John W. Parker and Flora M. (Schuster) Parker.

She and D. Duane Zink were married June 5, 1948. Duane died on Feb. 28, 2008.

Betty is survived by Larry (Darlene) Parker, Fre donia, Janet (Lewis) Bambick, Fredonia, Pat Liv ingstone, Sedona, Ariz., Doyle (Debbie) Parker, Bar tlesville, Okla., caregiver and friend, Rita Marnell, Iola, and numerous other relatives and friends.

A graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, in Highland Cemetery, Iola.

Memorials are suggested to Allen County Ani mal Rescue Facility (ACARF), and may be left with Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 U.S. 54, Iola.

Libertarian group sues to block student debt cancellation

By COLLIN BINKLEY The Associated Press

A libertarian group in California filed a legal challenge to President Joe Biden’s plan for stu dent debt cancellation on Tuesday, calling it an illegal overreach that would increase state tax burdens for some Amer icans who get their debt forgiven.

The lawsuit, believed to be the first targeting Biden’s plan, was filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a Sacra mento law firm. It was filed in federal court in Indiana, one of several states that plan to tax any student debt can celed by Biden’s plan.

“Congress did not authorize the executive branch to unilaterally cancel student debt,” said Caleb Krucken berg, an attorney at Pa cific Legal Foundation. He said it’s illegal for the executive branch to create the policy “by press release, and with out statutory authority.”

The suit’s plaintiff is Frank Garrison, de scribed as a public inter est attorney who lives in Indiana and is employed by the libertarian group.

Garrison is on track to get his student debt erased through a sep arate federal program for public servants. Al though most borrowers will need to apply for Biden’s plan, Garrison and many others in that program will auto matically get the relief because the Education Department has their in come information on file.

Biden’s plan would automatically cancel $20,000 of Garrison’s debt, which in turn would trigger an “imme diate tax liability” from the state of Indiana, ac cording to the suit. Un der the debt forgiveness program he’s enrolled in

now, canceled debt can not be taxed.

“Mr. Garrison and millions of others sim ilarly situated in the six relevant states will receive no additional benefit from the cancel lation — just a one-time additional penalty,” the suit argues.

Any student debt for given under Biden’s plan would also be subject to state taxes in Arkansas, California, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Car olina and Wisconsin, un less lawmakers in those states change their cur rent laws.

Biden’s plan promis es to cancel $10,000 in federal student debt for borrowers with incomes of less than $125,000 per year or households mak ing less than $250,000. Those who received fed eral Pell Grants to attend college would get an ad ditional $10,000 erased.

An application to re ceive the benefit is ex pected by early October.

Conservative groups have been threatening to challenge debt cancel lation since Biden first aired the idea, saying it’s legally questionable and unfairly cancels student debt at the expense of Americans who didn’t attend college. One of the main challenges has been finding someone who faces personal harm as a result of Biden’s plan, giving them legal standing to sue.

In its legal justifica tion for debt cancella tion, the Biden admin istration invoked the HEROES Act of 2003, which aimed to provide help to members of the military. The law gives the administration “sweeping authority” to reduce or eliminate student debt during a national emergency, the Justice Department said in an August legal opin ion.

Ian lashes Cuba; Florida readies for storm

HAVANA (AP) —

Hurricane Ian tore into western Cuba on Tues day as a major hurri cane, with nothing to stop it from intensify ing into a catastrophic Category 4 storm be fore it crashes ashore Wednesday in Florida, where officials ordered 2.5 million people to evacuate.

Ian made landfall at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province, where offi cials set up 55 shelters, evacuated 50,000 peo ple, rushed in emergen cy personnel and took steps to protect crops in the nation’s main to bacco-growing region.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said “significant wind and storm surge impacts” occurred Tuesday morning in western Cuba. Ian struck with sustained top winds of 125 mph. As much as 14 feet of storm surge was predicted along Cuba’s coast.

Ian was forecast to strengthen even more over warm Gulf of Mexico waters, reach ing top winds of 140 mph as it approaches Florida’s southwest coast. Tropical stormforce winds were expected across the southern peninsula late Tuesday, reach ing hurricane force Wednesday morning.

“Right now we’re focusing on west cen tral Florida area as the main area for impact,” hurricane specialist Andy Latto told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

With tropical stormforce winds extend ing 115 miles from Ian’s center, damage was expected across a wide area of Florida, regardless of where Ian makes landfall.

The hurricane center expanded its storm surge warning to the peninsula’s Atlantic coast, and expanded its tropical storm warn ing from Boca Raton to Brunswick, Georgia — a distance of about 375 miles.

Gil Gonzalez board

ed his windows with plywood Tuesday and had sandbags ready to protect his Tampa home from flooding. He and his wife had stocked up on bottled water and packed flash lights, battery packs for their cellphones and a camp stove with a large propane burn er as they got ready to evacuate.

“All the prized pos sessions, we’ve put them upstairs in a friend’s house and nearby, and we’ve got the car loaded,” Gon zalez said. He added: “I think we’re ready.”

Florida Gov. Ron De Santis said an estimat ed 2.5 million people were under evacuation orders. He urged peo ple to prepare for pow er outages, and to get out of its way.

“When you have five to 10 feet of storm surge, that is not some thing you want to be a part of,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “And Mother Nature is a very fear some adversary.”

The hurricane cen ter expanded its hur ricane warning to include Bonita Beach north through Tampa Bay to the Anclote Riv er. Fort Myers is in the hurricane zone, and Tampa and St. Peters burg could get their first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921.

As the storm’s center moved into the Gulf, scenes of destruction emerged in Cuba’s world-famous tobacco belt. The owner of the premier Finca Robaina cigar producer posted

photos on social me dia showing wood-andthatch roofs smashed to the ground, greenhous es in rubble and wagons overturned.

State media pub lished photos showing broad floodwaters flow ing through the town of San Juan y Martinez and more than 1 million Cubans were without power Tuesday morn ing, including all of the western provinces of Pinar del Rio and Arte misa. There were no re ports of deaths.

Ian’s forward move ment was expected to slow over the Gulf, en abling the hurricane to

grow wider and stron ger before it brings pun ishing wind and water to Florida’s west coast. Forecasters said the surge of ocean water could reach 10 feet if it peaks at high tide. Rain fall could total 16 inch es with as much as 24 inches in isolated areas. Coastal communities could be inundated.

Playing it safe, NASA was rolling its moon rocket from the launch pad to its Kennedy Space Center hangar, adding weeks of delay to the test flight. The air ports in Tampa and St. Petersburg announced they’ll close Tuesday af ternoon.

President Joe Biden also declared an emer gency, authorizing the Department of Home land Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide as sistance to protect lives and property. FEMA has strategically positioned generators, millions of meals and millions of liters of water, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Financial Focus

Failure to plan:

Is it planning to fail?

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” But as you chart your financial course, what steps should you take to help you keep moving f or ward to where you want to go?

Consider these suggestions:

• Establish and quantify your goals. Throughout your life, you’ll have short term goals, such as an overseas vacation or a home renovation, and long term goals, the most important of which may be a comfortable retirement. You’ll want to identify all your goals and put a “price tag” on them. Of course, it’s not always possible to know exactly how much it will cost to achieve each goal, but you can develop reasonably good estimates, revising them as needed.

• Create an investment strategy to achieve your goals. Once you know how much your goals will cost, you can create the appropriate savings and investment strategies to potentially help you reach the needed amounts. For your retirement goal, you will likely need to contribute regularly to your IRA and 401(k) or other employer sponsored retirement plan. But for shorter term goals, you may need to explore other types of investments. For all your investment moves, though, you’ll need to consider your risk tolerance. You won’t want your portfolio to have such a high risk level that you’re constantly uncomfortable with the inevitable fluctuations of the financial markets. On the other hand, you won’t want to invest so conservatively that you jeopardize your chances of achieving the growth you need to reach your goals.

• Control your debts. We live in an expensive world, so it’s not easy to live debt free. And some debts, such as your mortgage, obviously have value. But if you can control other debts, especially those that carry high interest rates, you can possibly free up money you can use to boost your savings and investments.

• Prepare for obstacles. No matter how carefully you follow the strategies you’ve created to achieve your goals, you will, sooner or later, run into obstacles, or at least temporary challenges. What if you incur a large, unexpected expense, such as the sudden need for a new car or a major home repair? If you aren’t prepared for these costs, you might be forced to dip into your long term investments and every time you do that, you might slow your progress toward achieving your goals. To help prevent this, you should build an emergency fund containing several months’ worth of living expenses.

• Review your strategy. When you first created your financial strategy, you might have planned to retire at a certain age. But what if you eventually decide to retire earlier or later? Such a choice can have a big impact on what you need from your investment portfolio and when. And your circumsmstances may change in other ways, too. That’s why it’s a good idea to review your strategy periodically to make sure it still aligns with your up-to-date objectives.

None of us can guarantee that our carefully laid plans will always yield the results we want. But by taking the right steps at the right times, you can greatly improve your chances.

A man walks by the Malecon in Havana Tuesday during the passage of hurricane Ian. YAMIL LAGE/AFP

VIA GETTY IMAGES/TNS

Democrats unveil spending bill to finance government

WASHINGTON (AP)

— Democratic law makers have unveiled a stopgap spending measure to finance the federal government through Dec. 16, pro vide additional sup port to Ukraine and help communities re spond to recent natu ral disasters.

Both chambers of Congress must ap prove legislation by the end of Friday, which is the end of the fiscal year, to prevent a par tial government shut down. It represents the last bit of unfinished business for lawmak ers before the midterm elections in November.

Both sides are eager to wrap up and spend time on the campaign trail, lowering the risk of a federal stoppage.

The bill provides about $12.3 billion in assistance related to Ukraine, including training, equipment, weapons, and direct fi nancial support for the Ukraine government.

The assistance would be on top of some $53 billion Congress has already approved through two previous bills.

The measure ex cludes the White House call for spend ing $22 billion to re spond to COVID-19, and $3.9 billion to fight against an outbreak of the monkeypox virus.

Republican lawmakers were overwhelmingly opposed to the health funding. At least 10 Republican senators would have to support the measure for it to overcome procedural hurdles and advance in that chamber.

The legislation also includes Sen. Joe Man chin’s legislation to streamline the permit ting process for energy projects and makes it easier for a pipeline project in his home state and Virginia to proceed.

Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, secured a commit ment from President Joe Biden and Demo cratic leaders to have a vote on the permit ting package in re turn for his support of a landmark law to curb climate change.

Senate Majority Lead er Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had announced he intended to include it in the must-pass con tinuing resolution.

While Republicans have voiced support for streamlining the permitting process for energy projects, some, including Republican Leader Mitch McCo nnell, have panned Manchin’s proposal.

Sen. Richard Shelby, the ranking Republi can on the Senate Ap propriations Commit tee, also said he would vote against the con tinuing resolution if it’s included.

“We have made sig nificant progress to ward a Continuing Resolution that is as clean as possible. But, if the Democrats insist on including permit ting reform, I will op pose it,” Shelby said.

Top Democratic ap

propriators also said they were unhappy with the inclusion of Manchin’s proposal, but said keeping the government running took priority.

“I am disappointed that unrelated per mitting reform was attached to this bill. This is a controver sial matter that should be debated on its own merits,” said Sen. Pat rick Leahy, the Demo cratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “However, with four days left in the fiscal year, we can not risk a government shutdown; we must work to advance this bill.”

The Mountain Val ley Pipeline sought by Manchin would run through Virginia for about 100 miles. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he opposes an expe dited review for the pipeline and will vote against taking up the package, another sign that lawmakers won’t have the 60 votes need ed to move forward.

“We should pass a continuing resolution that is free of the un precedented and dan gerous” pipeline deal, Kaine said.

The disaster assis tance in the bill in cludes $2.5 billion to help New Mexico com munities recover from the Hermit’s Peak/ Calf Canyon Fire, the largest wildfire in the state’s history; $2 bil lion for a block grant program that aids the economic recovery of communities impact ed by recent disasters and $20 million for water and wastewa ter infrastructure improvements previ ously authorized for Jackson, Mississippi.

Schools: Kindergarten is largest class

Continued from A1

district. This year, Iola Elementary School add ed a fifth teacher for both kindergarten and first grade, in order to keep the student/teach er ratio low.

The smallest class is second grade, which has 65 students. The next smallest is fifth grade, with 67 students.

After kindergarten, the next highest grade levels are fourth and eighth, both with 92 stu dents. Tenth grade has 91 students.

See the chart for a breakdown on enroll ment numbers.

A SUCCESSFUL golf fundraiser could help Iola Middle School make some improvements to the gymnasium.

Jason Coke, IMS as sistant principal and athletic director, orga nized the golf tourna ment earlier this month. It raised about $5,000 in proceeds, to be split be tween the middle and high schools.

Coke asked school board members to con sider putting the money toward a number of im provements to the gym to recognize student achievements.

In particular, he wants to add record boards for track students on a wall outside the gym. The boards would list re cords for both girls and boys in each category of track.

It’s important to rec ognize student accom

Level 2022-23 2021-22

Kindergarten

Trail that goes from Iola to Humboldt.

First grade

Second grade

Third grade

Fourth grade

Fifth grade

Sixth grade

Seventh grade

Eighth grade Ninth grade Tenth grade

Eleventh grade Twelfth grade

PreschoolNot funded Virtual PreschoolSpecial Ed Preschool - 4-year-old at risk

68

92 83

91

Crossing safety Fager reported the city had changed the programming of stop lights at the intersection of Kentucky and U.S. 54, after an IES student on a bicycle was struck by a car there last week.

80

Preschool3-year-old at risk Birth to Three Total 108* 95 87 64 65 74 85 80 92 70 67 91 87

77 83 9 15.5 11 15 36 46 60 83 25 3 6 4 1223 1207.5

* 94 regular education, 14 pre-K 5YO Increase: 15.5 students

This chart shows enrollment numbers by grade, com paring this year and last year. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

plishments, Coke said. It also might encourage students to participate in activities. Also, he noted record boards re main a source of pride for years. Former stu dents enjoy seeing the boards, especially if they held a record.

Inside the gym, Coke wants to see boards or banners that recognize when teams win league. He also wants to pur chase a circular board that includes logos from all schools in the league.

The gym floor is ex pected to be redone this summer, similar to what was done with the high school gym this year. That makes it a good time to paint the upper

walls of the gym (the lower half was done over the summer) and install the new items.

He doesn’t have spe cific costs, but estimat ed expenses between $5,200 and $6,000. Fager encouraged Coke to get more exact numbers, and for school board members to keep the proposal in mind over the coming months.

Coke also talked about plans to host a middle school wrestling dual with Humboldt students on Halloween.

B&W Trailer Hitches created a trophy for the winner of the event, called “Whirlwind on the Southwind,” refer ring to the Southwind

When the crosswalk button is pushed, the lights will stop traffic in all directions for eight seconds. That’s similar to other intersections downtown.

Then, pedestrians and bike riders will have 12 seconds to cross for a to tal of 20 seconds. Previ ously, they were allowed just 12 seconds to cross.

The button needs to be pushed to trigger the crossing sign, Fager noted. He shared his appreciation for teach ers and administrators for efforts to educate students about how to safely cross the streets around the new elemen tary school.

IN OTHER news, board members:

• Recognized SAFE BASE director Angela Henry, who “stepped up and intervened for a child’s safety.”

• Heard an update on a new security system for all schools in the build ing, and the elementa ry school in particular. Special magnetized cards will allow teach ers and staffs access into buildings, but doors will otherwise be locked.

Records: Texas AG fled home to avoid subpoena

DALLAS (AP) — Tex as Attorney General Ken Paxton ran out of his house and jumped into a truck driven by his wife, a state senator, to avoid being served a subpoena to testify Tuesday in an abortion access case, according to court documents.

A process server wrote in an affidavit that he was attempting

to deliver the federal court subpoena Mon day at Paxton’s home and ultimately had to leave the document on the ground. He said the Republican avoided him for more than an hour from inside his house, then dashed toward the truck and the couple drove off.

Paxton, who is facing a variety of legal trou

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bles as he seeks to win a third term in November, said he avoided the serv er out of safety concerns and said the news media should be ashamed for reporting on what hap pened.

“It’s clear that the media wants to drum up another controver sy involving my work as Attorney General, so they’re attacking me for

having the audacity to avoid a stranger linger ing outside my home and showing concern about the safety and well-being of my family,” Paxton wrote on Twitter Mon day night. He did not indicate whether he’d appear for the hearing in a lawsuit by nonprofit groups that want to help Texans pay for abortions out of state.

Kansas Democrats float proposal to lower property taxes with dormant fund

By RACHEL MIPRO Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — A threepart proposal to reduce property taxes could save Kansas homeown ers millions, Demo cratic lawmakers said during a news confer ence Monday at the Statehouse.

Rep. Vic Miller, D-To peka, and Rep. Mike Amyx, D-Lawrence, released the plan for consideration in the next legislative session, which begins in Janu ary. The plan includes reducing residential property assessment rates from 11.5% to 9%, financing a statewide property tax reduction fund and raising resi

dential property exemp tions from the state mill levy that funds public schools.

Miller and Amyx want to refinance the

Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction Fund, which was designed to help local governments low er property taxes. The fund was suspended in

2002, but the two believe the state government now has enough funds to resume payments.

Under their propos al, the fund would be replenished every year with the $54 million stipulated by state law, and for the next four years, an extra $54 mil lion would be deposited annually to partially offset years of nonpay ment. The money in the fund, which is por tioned out according to population and other factors, would then be used to offset local prop erty taxes.

“We haven’t done that for the last 20 years,” Miller said. “The state becomes a miser when it’s got their hands on

Suicide: Isolation is a warning sign

Continued from A1

the last 2.5 years be cause of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We see the issue of suicide having an acute impact in men. 79% of all sui cide deaths are male. What’s going on with men that drives that problem?

Men typically choose more lethal methods when contemplating suicide. Unfortunately, men have a tendency to die by suicide, whereas females may have more attempts. Males may use more lethal means with substances, firearms and other modalities.

How does the SEK Mental Health Cen ter work with men around this issue?

For anyone who is struggling, our message is to provide hope. Indi viduals are often taught to internalize problems and keep family chal lenges within the fam ily. Our goal is to help individuals externalize those challenges and try to paint a picture of hope by looking at sit uations from different perspectives and iden tify patterns that can change life stressors.

I’m thinking of the hyper-masculinity idea that emotions equal weakness, and that talking about your prob lems opens you up to rid icule.

Yes, our society has taught that boys and men don’t cry. At times males are taught to sup press their feelings and emotions, so when they become stressed, if they continue to internalize and don’t utilize their natural support or pro fessional help, the stress keeps playing over and over within them. But that happens for males and females, depending on their upbringing and coping skills.

Are we lonelier than in the past? I think about how civic par ticipation has fallen across our society, and what that might mean for mental health. How does isolation af fect mental health and suicide?

We’ve just gone through the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw busi nesses and restaurants shut down. A lot of our community activities stopped, and they’re just now starting back up. But individuals are still anxious about being around a lot of people, and they’re still strug gling with the stressors

the pandemic created, whether that’s a job loss, reduced income, or ris ing prices.

But here in Allen County, we have a lot of opportunities. Be open to new things. If you’re going to a community event, invite someone to go with you. When I first moved to Iola, I wasn’t aware of all the resourc es. Think of Farm City Days, Biblesta, Farm ers’ Market. If you’re heading out, invite your neighbor or someone to go with you. One, so that others learn about what’s going on in town. And secondly, to help people get out of their homes and not isolate themselves.

Apart from Ameri can Indians and Alas ka Natives, non-His panic whites are the demographic group with the largest rate of suicide in the US. What are some of the reasons there?

A large piece is the shift towards isolation. I also think individuals feel a lot more pressure around what they think they have to provide and contribute to their families. We’ve also seen some shifts in fam ily support. It’s not as strong as it once was. A lot of family units have two parents working, and their kids are in school and involved in many activities. Those households are con stantly running, and it has become more diffi cult to make ends meet.

As we look at the LGBTQ population, there are real risk fac tors. LGBTQ youth are more than four times likely to attempt suicide than straight youth, and transgender adults are nine times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. That’s frightening.

As a center, we as sess for risk of suicide or self-harm. And a big piece of that is listen ing non-judgmentally.

Being present, allowing the individual to talk about what is happening and truly trying to put yourself in that person’s shoes is terribly import ant. The other piece for our staff is just trying to help them have hope. And so we look at the opportunities for ac ceptance and to explore what is helping them feel more comfortable.

From a community or society perspective, a huge piece is accep tance. When we think of this population, they just want to feel com fortable in their own

skin and be accepted for who they are, just like each of us. You want people you care about to be happy, confident and comfortable with who they are. What’s right for you isn’t al ways right for them, and vice-versa. But we can still respect each other. If you are having a diffi cult time understanding something, don’t make assumptions. Ask ques tions politely and re spectfully, and show this person you are willing to listen.

What are some warning signs around suicide?

Isolation is a big one. Withdrawing from fami ly, friends and activities can be a sign. Watch for extreme changes in be havior. This can be more manic behavior, or more risk taking, or making choices they wouldn’t normally. Depression is a warning sign, as is more emotionally reac tive behavior.

Other things to con sider are an increase in substance use or the use of additional sub stances. Or if they have things that are import ant to them, and they start to give those things away. If they threaten to harm themselves or someone else, that can also be a sign.

There are many things that can be signs or symptoms. If you’re close to someone, watch for any extreme changes in behaviors.

But sometimes those warning signs never appear, right? I think about 15 min

utes of really ter rible decisions that can lead someone to attempt suicide. And that makes me think about firearm safety. What are some tips if you have firearms in the home to make sure they’re kept safely?

With gun safety, you can get trigger locks. We always advise to keep guns and ammunition separately. Keep the guns locked in a safe or security box.

Any time we’re work ing with someone who’s had thoughts of harm or suicidal ideation, we advise for the guns to be removed from the home. If there are any threats or thoughts, family members need to make sure access to firearms is completely removed.

And if you have kids in the home, recognize that kids are curious and have a tendency to be impulsive. Make sure your guns are locked up. If your children know there are guns in the home, they might have some gun safety skills, but that doesn’t guaran tee other people in your home have those same skills or knowledge.

IF YOU or someone you know is considering suicide, please call or text 988 or visit 988life line.org. You can also contact the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center at 1-866-973-2241 24/7 or visit sekmhc. org. The National Sui cide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) and online at Speak ingOfSuicide.com/re sources have additional resources.

The state becomes a miser when it’s got their hands on money. They like to keep it rather than give it back to taxpayers. We think that needs to change.

money. They like to keep it rather than give it back to taxpayers. We think that needs to change.”

Mill and Amyx also want to raise the res idential property ex emption for the school mill levy from $40,000 to $65,000. Miller said last year’s proper ty tax legislation failed to make any real impact for Kan san homeowners.

During the 2021 legislative session, residential proper ty exemption was raised from $20,000 to $40,000, creating a property tax reduc tion of an estimated $46 per home.

“Forty-six dol lars a house is not what people are looking for,” Miller said. “They’re look ing for meaningful change.”

Rep. Dave Baker, a Council Grove Re publican and mem ber of the House Committee on Tax ation who did not seek reelection, said he couldn’t speak to the new proposal, but he said proper ty taxes in the state

have been hurting Kan sans for too long.

“It’s broken and it needs to be fixed,” Baker said. “I’ve been talking to constituents, to voters, that is the number one item that they are upset about.”

Miller and Amyx, who are seeking reelec tion and are unopposed, hope to have bipartisan support on the matter. Amyx said critics of the proposal could create their own plan.

“We ask, ‘What is your plan to reduce property taxes for homeowners?’ ” Amyx said. “Kansas home owners are getting hit hard. It is time that we help them, we do our jobs and this is the plan we bring forward. We welcome other ideas, we truly do.”

Gov. Laura Kelly hasn’t signed off on the plan. Miller said they spoke to one of her spokespeople ahead of the meeting about the plan, and hope to gain her support.

These changes would create a 13.3% reduc tion in home taxes, sav ing Kansans more than $694 million annually, the Democrats said.

CLEANUP

Pickup starts October

Rep. Vic Miller, at the lectern, and Rep. Mike Amyx unveil their property tax reduction plan during a news conference Monday at the Statehouse in Tope ka. (RACHEL MIPRO/KANSAS REFLECTOR)

— Rep. Vic Miller, D-Topeka

~ Journalism that makes a difference

When this high school banned cellphone use, it saw remarkable changes

By CYNTHIA ALLEN Fort Worth Star-Telegram/ TNS

FORT WORTH, Texas —

There’s something noticeably different at Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth this year.

It’s not new uniforms or facilities. It’s the absence of something that accounts for what principal Oscar Ortiz calls a remarkable cultural shift.

There are no cellphones in use during the school day.

Students are required to keep them in backpacks in side their lockers.

If students are caught us ing their phones, the devic es are confiscated and must be retrieved by a parent or guardian after a small fine is paid.

To a home-schooling par ent like me, this doesn’t seem a novel or even particularly harsh policy.

Aren’t smartphones almost always prohibited in places of learn ing?

According to federal data, close to 77 per cent of schools in the U.S. re portedly ban cellphone use in schools.

But practice looks different than policy.

“For the first time in a long time, [the students] can actu ally have friendships again,” Ortiz said. “Real conversa tions in the hallways and lunch rooms. Real human in teractions.”

It seems that when kids are allowed to use their de vices during the school day, they ambulate the hallways like extras on the set of “The Walking Dead,” barely lifting their eyes, never acknowledg ing each other.

Now, they greet adults in the hallway.

Even their posture has changed. Now, they look up.

Parents are reporting that the positive behavioral changes extend beyond the classroom and into the home, Ortiz said. Family dinners are more engaging. Conversa tions are more frequent. Cell phone use in the home is now comparatively minimal.

For the first time in a long time, the students can actual ly have friendships again. Real conversa tions in the hallways and lunch rooms. Real human interactions.

It’s a throw back to a sim pler time, before the ubiquity of smartphones changed the way we interact with the world around us, fre quently for the worse.

Kobach fibs about his role in ill-fated citizenship law

It’s a strange sensation sitting in a room watching a politician try to backped al from the biggest thing he ever did in office.

Before this year, Nolan had a no-cellphone policy in place. But as Ortiz explained, when such policies don’t take into account what that means for teachers in the classroom, they are difficult to enforce and make other rules seem arbitrary.

That isn’t just the case at Nolan.

A friend who has taught at an area public school for nearly a decade laughed when I asked about his expe rience with cellphones in the classroom.

The school had a policy, he said, but kids were on their phones anyway and there was nothing he could do about it.

“I would teach to the two or three students who actually came to learn,” he said.

Ortiz, though, has seen previous cellphone policies implemented successfully. At Nolan, he wanted to be inten tional about “creating a space where children can learn the right way,” free from distrac tion.

Thus far, this more robust policy seems to be working.

Ortiz estimates the school has minimized cell phone use by 85%-90%.

In the first seven weeks of school, teachers and admin istrators have collected only 12 devices, compared to last year’s 12-15 a day.

Device denial is a difficult adjustment at first, but teach ers report that students are already more engaged, liveli er and more attentive.

But what’s truly extraordi nary about the policy is the effect it’s had on student cul ture.

There is a bounty of data which suggests that smart phone use — so cial media apps in particular — is a primary fac tor driving teenage anxiety and depression.

Smartphones allow for con stant communication, but they also expose kids to a lita ny of vices and dangers, from prolific online pornography and sexting to cyberbullying and online predators.

Being off their phones during the school day won’t eliminate those dangers, but it certainly reduces the num ber of opportunities for kids to be exposed to them.

“Most schools are already dealing with issues regarding porn and [cyber] bullying,” Ortiz said. “We have not this year.”

Protecting kids from online dangers, keeping them fo cused on academic work and allowing them the freedom to “be kids again” without the sense that every interac tion could end up circulating through school in a social me dia post — all are positive out comes of cell phone policies like Nolan’s.

But for Nolan, which is a Catholic institution, the cell phone policy also serves a higher purpose. It creates an atmosphere conducive to pur suing what is true, beautiful and good.

“We don’t want our chil dren changing their behavior only due to external factors,” Ortiz said.

Prohibitions help reduce distractions, but motivating kids to want to do good for its own sake takes something a bit more, something a bit harder to pinpoint.

But if Nolan’s cell phone policy success is any indica tor, the school is well on its way to achieving that goal.

I had that experience this week while attending a campaign debate for Kan sas attorney general candi dates Kris Kobach and Chris Mann.

In the Wichita Crime Commission debate, Mann criticized Kobach for put ting an unlawful provision into state law to address the nearly nonexistent problem of people who have broken immigration laws suppos edly voting in Kansas elec tions.

As Mann put it: “The last time that my opponent de cided to handle the immigra tion issue, he pushed a law that was unconstitutional. He defended that law. He cost us $2 million in this state.”

Kobach’s reply was, let’s say, less than fully truthful:

“The … false statement he (Mann) said was that I defended a law that cost the state $2 million. That was our proof-of-citizenship law and we drew a very bad pan el in the federal Court of Appeals. But evidently … he doesn’t realize that when you lose in the federal Court of Appeals, which the attor ney general’s office did — my office had argued in the district court — it doesn’t matter whether you won or lost in district court, if you lose at the Court of Appeals, then you have to pay the ACLU’s attorneys’ fees. I’m not blaming (Attorney Gen eral) Derek Schmidt’s office for that. They fought a good fight but they had a very lib eral panel (of judges).”

There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s get started.

First off, Kobach, as Kan sas secretary of state, did

Dion Lefler McClatchy News/TNS

try to defend the proof-of-cit izenship law in federal ap peals court himself. I know this for a fact because in 2014, I drove all the way to Denver and watched him do it.

A little background: Ko bach wrote the proof-of-citi zenship requirement into a law he proposed and shep herded through the Kansas Legislature in 2011, called the SAFE Act. It required voters to provide paper doc uments proving their citi zenship to register to vote.

We’ll get back to the court room drama in a moment, but first, a brief aside.

Every time I write about this, some bozo posts a comment on the story or our Facebook page to the effect of: “YOU NEED A PHOTO ID TO BUY BOOZE OR CIGARETTES OR CASH A CHECK SO WHY SHOULDN’T YOU HAVE TO TO VOTE YOU LEFTIST COMMIE???”

So let me be absolutely clear. Photo ID and proof of citizenship are two very dif ferent things.

You carry photo ID in your wallet, but that wasn’t acceptable as proof of citi zenship under the SAFE Act.

To prove you were a cit izen, you had to provide a birth certificate or equiv alent document, plus mar riage certificates and/or di vorce decrees for women.

It was an extremely high hurdle for voters, one that often involved ordering and paying for documents from

one or more other states.

At least 35,000 otherwise eligible voters were initially denied registration because of it.

In the appeals court case I covered in Denver, Kobach was trying to force the fed eral government to help him enforce his proof-of-citizen ship law.

He lost big.

Meanwhile, another case was moving through federal court called Fish v. Kobach.

It challenged whether the Kansas law violated voters’ rights by conflicting with the federal “motor voter” law. That case persisted from 2016 to 2021.

Kobach lost at the Kansas City District Court.

Through the appeals pro cess, Kobach remained both a defendant and a lead at torney until he left office in January 2019, after losing the race for governor to Lau ra Kelly.

The new secretary of state, Scott Schwab, became the substitute defendant and the case was renamed Fish v. Schwab.

Schwab isn’t a lawyer, so Schmidt’s office finished the case and took the final loss.

But there’s no denying that Kobach wrote a real ly bad law, disenfranchised tens of thousands of Kan sans, tried to defend that in court and failed, and cost the state millions of dollars in legal expenses.

It left deep footprints in Kobach’s track record that can’t be covered up by elec tion-year rhetoric.

About the writer: Opin ion editor Dion Lefler has been providing award-win ning coverage of local gov ernment, politics and busi ness as a reporter in Wichita for 23 years.

A look back in t me.A look back in t me.

65 Years Ago September 1957

Safeway, a pioneer among chain food centers here, is leaving Iola. Virgil McCrea ry, the store manager, said he could not speak officially on reasons for the closing. A. J. Miller is the owner of the building. Safeway has been in Iola approximately 30 years, a pillar in what has long been

termed “grocery row” in the north block on the square on Jefferson. Model Grocery and Fryer’s Grocery remain from a group that once in cluded five stores.

HUMBOLDT

— Hum boldt’s week-long Centenni al Celebration began with inspiring religious services in each of the town’s church es. The day had particular significance for St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, which is observing its 100th anni versary. Mrs. Ella Hack is the Centennial Queen. Mrs. Hack, 84, has lived in Hum boldt for the past 63 years and is beloved by all mem bers of the community.

— Principal Oscar Ortiz, Nolan Catholic High School

Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach attended the Kansas gubernatorial debate at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson on Sept. 10, 2022. JAIME GREEN/TNS

Hunger: Biden gathers anti-hunger advocates for conference

from

tion’s efforts to extend temporary pandemic benefits and a spike in inflation that has been especially hard on fam ilies near the precipice of poverty.

The situation threat ens to worsen as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates and the economy slows, with private forecasters now predicting a 50% chance of recession over the next 12 months.

This is the econom ic backdrop for Biden’s high-profile White House event Wednesday committing the nation to ending hunger by 2030. For many Amer icans, especially those struggling for the first time to make ends meet, that goal seems more elusive than ever.

Mary McManus, a 44-year-old dis count-store cashier who lives outside Scranton in small-town Jessup, Pennsylvania, said she has been kept awake at night choosing be tween making utility payments, buying gas for the car and pur chasing groceries. She and her husband, a tree trimmer, fell behind on utility payments this year after they stopped receiving monthly child tax-credit payments that expired in December and inflation swelled the cost of household essen tials, she said.

“I worry. I think, ‘Oh my goodness, they’re go ing to shut off my util ities,’” said McManus, who has been struggling even with some assis tance from an electronic grocery benefit for fami lies whose children qual ify for reduced-price school lunches.

People like McManus and her family will be among the most vulner able if the economy tips into recession, said Alix Gould-Werth, director of family economic security policy at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.

“It’s going to be the families most hit by inflation that are most

likely to lose their jobs and experience hard ship,” Gould-Werth said.

The threat is loom ing as Biden gathers anti-hunger advocates, state and local officials and food company repre sentatives for the White House Conference on Hunger, reprising a 1969 forum Richard Nixon convened that sparked major expansions of the federal food stamp and school lunch programs and authorization of the Women, Infants and Children program.

In announcing the event, Biden said he was committed “to taking bold steps that are going to help end hunger” and

would lay out a plan to achieve the goal. That plan includes restor ing the now-expired ex panded child tax credit and raising the mini mum wage — proposals the current Congress wouldn’t pass — and expansions of food as sistance, including free school lunches for more children, White House officials said.

As a presidential candidate, Biden spoke passionately about his horror at seeing the long lines of cars at food banks during the early days of the pandemic, when many previously secure middle-class fam ilies suddenly confront

ed financial hardship.

In office, he acted quickly. His $1.9 trillion COVID relief package stimulated the econo my, bolstered the middle class and temporarily strengthened safety-net programs for the poor. That included $1,400 stimulus payments, a temporary expanded child tax credit of up to $300 per child paid monthly to parents, uni versal free school lunch es and other food-aid in creases.

Hunger in America plunged. At the start of Biden’s term in late January 2021, 24.1 mil lion adults didn’t have enough to eat the prior week; by early August of that year, the num ber dropped by nearly a third, to 16.7 million, according to Census surveys. The improve ment for families with children was even more dramatic, thanks to the expanded child tax cred it.

But that would be the extent of progress.

As the temporary pandemic relief mea sures started expiring, inflation surged to the highest levels in four decades. Though the economy added jobs and employers gave raises, inflation ate away even above-average pay in creases.

Costs of necessities that account for large parts of lower-income

Americans’ spending have risen most rapidly. Headlines showed annu al inflation in August at 8.3%, but groceries were up 13.5%, electricity 16.2%, regular gasoline 23.5% and natural gas utility rates 38.4%.

And the lines at food banks started getting longer again.

At Murphy’s Giving Market, a local food bank just outside Phil adelphia in Upper Dar by, Pennsylvania, about 250 people have been coming for the weekly food distributions this month, up from 110 a year ago, said Desiree La Marr-Murphy, the founder.

“We have many new faces, new families are coming,” La Marr-Mur phy said.

More than half of the non-elderly people who line up as early as 5:30 am have jobs but still can’t make ends meet, she said.

Some Democrats as well as Republicans had criticized the scale of Biden’s pandemic re lief package as likely to add to inflationary pres sures. Most prominent among them was Larry Summers, Bill Clinton’s Treasury secretary and Barack Obama’s chief economic adviser, who also warned that the generous COVID relief risked undercutting support for Biden’s longterm economic agenda.

Council: Cedarbrook development could offer incentives

Continued from A1

work for the water, wastewater and elec tric utilities at about $386,000. Funds would come from those respec tive utility budgets.

“Those funds are in good shape,” City Ad ministrator Matt Rehder said. “The costs aren’t going to break the bank. We can easily absorb those costs.”

The city also has ap plied for a Moderate Income Housing (MIH) grant that, if approved, would pay for street ex tensions, Rehder contin ued.

The costs would be recouped through utili ty sales after homes are built there, he noted.

“It would be a long haul, but we’d collect,” Rehder said.

The biggest hurdle will be in getting materi als on hand, Schinstock added.

It would likely be next spring before much of the work would be done.

THE NEXT key con versation in terms of the Cedarbrook devel opment may center on incentives because the city owns the land in

question.

Schinstock noted the city received $7,500 per lot in 2008 from Tom Carlson, who built the River Valley Homes complex in Cedarbrook.

That said, Mayor Steve French noted any costs incurred by the de veloper in terms of land acquisition would even tually be calculated with such things as rent costs for future tenants.

“There just aren’t many developers inter ested in coming to Iola to build,” French said. “In essence, if we want to have housing, and we want to address our problem, we’re gonna have to look at incen tives. We’re gonna have to provide something to get someone interested in coming to Iola.”

Approval was unani mous, with Councilman Carl Slaugh absent.

THE EXTENSION of the Missouri-Pacif ic trail from downtown Iola to Iola Elementary School is one step closer to completion.

Council members ac cepted a bid from Mis sion Construction Co., St. Paul, to install a pe

destrian bridge over a stretch of the trail east of the school, as well as concrete tie-ins and ADA ramps for vari ous street intersections along the route.

Mission’s bid of $156,025 was the lower of two received.

Schinstock noted much of the trail is in place, with limestone screenings laid out over the summer.

He expected the ADA ramps and concrete work to begin soon, with the bridge the final item to be done next spring.

While the trail is not officially open yet, it’s al ready been in use since the start of the 2022-23 school year.

In a separate school traffic matter, Shallah encouraged the city to resume popular safety night events, such as bike rodeos, to provide bicycle and pedestrian safety lessons to both children and motorists, a hot topic after an ele mentary school student was struck by a vehicle at the Kentucky-East Street intersection earli er this month.

COUNCIL members

approved purchase of six generator breakers for Iola’s power plant at a cost of $135,420 from KMEA Mid-States Ener gy LLC, Salina, the low er of two bids received.

Power plant superin tendent Mike Phillips noted the old breakers were manufactured anywhere between 1969 and 1979, and have well outlived their useful lives. Repairs usually involved eBay searches, he joked.

THE popular MOMS (Mothers of Miracles) playground set at River side Park soon will get new safety padding be neath the slides, swings

and other attractions.

The eight-year-old playset — perhaps the most popular attraction at the park — has begun to show signs of wear and tear with its safety padding, Superinten dent Berkley Kerr said.

Council members accepted a bid from Athco LLC, Lenexa, for $29,654.25 to patch up the damaged portions before adding a halfinch EPDM overlay. The Athco bid was the only one received.

COUNCIL members also:

• Approved a memo randum of understand ing with Allen County

dealing with extending sewer service to a 75acre tract of land at the northwest corner of the Allen County Airport for development purpos es.

• Extended two-year appointments for City Clerk Roxanne Hutton, Police Chief Jared War ner, Municipal Judge Patti Miklos Boyd, City Attorney Bob John son and City Treasurer Kathy Green through Dec. 31, 2024.

• Were reminded that Iolans have until noon Friday to call City Hall at 365-4910 to be added to next week’s citywide cleanup list.

Parents and caregivers with the Economic Security Project gather outside the White House to advocate for the Child Tax Credit in advance of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Sept. 20, in Washington, DC.

(LARRY FRENCH/GETTY IMAGES FOR SKDK/TNS)

Humboldt sweeps Erie, YC

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

HUMBOLDT — Humboldt High School volleyball swept Erie and Yates Center Monday in a home meet.

With the wins, the Lady Clubs (20-3; 1-0) claimed their 20th victory of the season.

It was also a special night for Lady Cub junior Kenisyn Hottenstein, who reached a milestone of 1,300 career assists with Humboldt. She was honored after the Erie match with a poster, balloons and a picture with her team.

Humboldt took care of Erie, 25-10 and 25-15.

Skylar Hottenstein, Kenisyn Hottenstein and Shelby Shaughnessy knocked in four aces to lead the team.

Karley Wools ripped seven kills while Shaughnessy had three kills.

Defensively, Shaughnessy made one block while S. Hottenstein led with eight digs and Wools registered five digs. Shaughnessy had three digs while K. Hottenstein recorded two digs.

“I was very pleased with our level of play tonight.

After having a long day Saturday, I did not know if the girls would be tired and have a slow night, but that was not the case. We came ready to play and I was very pleased with our energy,” said Humboldt head coach Terry Meadows.

In the second match, Humboldt took down Yates Center, 25-13 and 25-10.

Shaughnessy and Wools led at the serving line with four aces while S. Hottenstein had three. Shaughnessy also led offensively, knocking eight kills while Wools made four kills and Ella Lassman ripped three.

“We served very well again and hit the ball well tonight. We started league play this week so we are 1-0 in league and 20-3 overall,” said Meadows.

S. Hottenstein led defensively with eight digs, followed by K. Hottenstein’s five digs and Natalie Wells and Shaughnessy’s three digs apiece. Wools tallied two digs.

Humboldt hosts Caney Valley and Neodesha Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Iola slips at Burlington Saturday

BURLINGTON — The IHS volleyball team went 2-3 at the Burlington Invitational on Saturday.

The Mustangs began and ended their day with victories over Waverly while falling to Fredonia, Baxter Springs and Lyndon.

Against Waverly, Iola won in two sets, 25-14 and 25-16. Jackie Fager led the Mustangs with seven kills while Reese Curry registered 11 digs and two aces from the serving line.

Fredonia was able to take care of Iola in the second match when they won in three sets, 21-25, 27-25 and 19-25.

Mustang Rio Lohman notched 10 kills while Curry and Fager ripped eight kills apiece.

Aysha Houk also fought hard in the Fredonia match-

up, knocking three aces while Kaysin Crusinbery made 21 assists and 11 digs.

The Mustangs dropped their second loss against Baxter Spring in three sets, 9-25, 25-23 and 15-25. Similar to the first set, Iola fought hard to even things up in the middle set but couldn’t sustain the momentum and fell in the third set by 10 points.

“Overall, it was a disappointing day for Mustang volleyball,” said Iola head coach Amanda Holman. “We had good moments, but we need to learn to put together good games.”

Lohman led offensively with eight kills and also made 3.5 blocks defensively.

Houk went a perfect 10-for10 on digs to lead the defense while Curry came up with four aces from the serving

line.

Iola fell for the third time against Lyndon when they were swept in two sets, 20-25 and 16-25.

“Our biggest hurdle as a team is our minds. We have to become more mentally tough if we want to see different results,” Holman said.

Dallyn McGraw led the team with nine kills, followed by Fager’s three kills and Alana Mader’s two kills.

In the final match, Iola took down Waverly for the second time with set scores of 25-15 and 25-16.

Lohman helped out offensively with six kills while Crusinbery made 14 assists. Elza Clift, Curry and Crusinbery each ripped four digs in the second victory.

The Mustangs travel to Anderson County on Tuesday.

NBA honoring Bill Russell with patch

CANTON, Mass. (AP) —

As the longest-tenured player on the Celtics, Marcus Smart has been in Boston long enough to appreciate what Bill Russell meant to the team, the city and the country.

“We’ve heard things like

‘pioneer,’ ‘trailblazer,’”

Smart said Monday while wearing a patch honoring the Celtics Hall of Famer who died this summer. “To mention, you know, Bill Russell and the impact that he brought to this game is undeniable.”

The centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years, Russell is being honored this season not just for his unmatched success on the court but for a lifetime comSee NBA | Page B3

Allen sweeps NEO Monday

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

MIAMI, Okla. — The ACC volleyball team claimed victory in their third match in a row Monday night after taking down Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, 3-0.

The Lady Red Devils swept the matchup with scores of 25-20, 25-19 and 25-20.

In Allen’s first set victory, the Lady Red Devils had 15 kills as opposed to the Norseman’s 10 kills. Allen then ripped 15 and 13 kills in the final two sets as opposed to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M’s 10 and eight kills.

“We continue to make progress in keeping our hitting errors minimal to make for outstanding hitting percentages. The highest being in set one,” said Allen Community College head coach Whitney Shaw.

Guilia Gonclaves and So-

fia Otero each tallied 18 aces at the serving line, followed by Andrea Maldonado’s five aces.

Lady Red Devil Katherine Harris led offensively with 11 kills while Gabriela Dominguez had 10 kills and Alycia Shaw knocked eight kills.

Maldonado and Karysn Smith led defensively with 16 and 13 digs, respectively.

Dominguez made seven digs while Otero tapped six digs.

Nadia Gallegos also led with three solo blocks while Shaw and Harris registered one block apiece.

Overall in the victory, Harris led the way with 12 points followed by Dominguez’s 10 points and Shaw’s nine points. Abby Altic also had 8.5 points and Gallegos came up with 7.5 points.

The Lady Red Devils will continue conference action when they host Fort Scott on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Big swings

Lady Red Devil Karsyn Smith (2) goes up for a serve against Johnson County on Sept. 19. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Humboldt’s Karley Wools (22) goes up for a hit against the net in a match with Erie on Monday. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Iola JV tennis player Kyndal Bycroft goes for a return at Chanute on Monday in a match.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER BYCROFT

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First drink of alcohol brings ushing, anxiety

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 76-year-old man in excellent health. I don’t take any medication, except for simvastatin for over 15 years. My cholesterol is now below 200. But, a problem started about eight months ago. When sitting with friends, I’ll have my first drink of beer. Within a minute, my face gets bright red, and I get a feeling of anxiety. It goes away in a few minutes and does not return. If I have a sip, it still happens, just not as severe. It happens every time. I told my primary care physician about this in May at my annual physical, but he had no answer. He didn’t seem too concerned. What do you think about this? Should I worry? -- W.D.

ANSWER: The medical term for the face turning red, usually accompanied by a sensation of warmth, is called flushing. The face is the most common location, but some people will get

flushing on their ears, neck, chest, torso or arms. The sudden onset you describe makes flushing the diagnosis, rather than any other causes of facial rash, such as lupus or a photosensitivity rash.

Alcohol alone can cause many people to flush, but since this just started within the last year, I think there is something else going on. By far, I think the most likely diagnosis is rosacea, which usually happens to people in their 60s. Alcohol is a potent trigger for flushing in people with rosacea. A careful skin exam would be likely to prove or disprove my suspected diagnosis, and a dermatologist would be the ideal

PIXABAY.COM

choice. You might even consider bringing in a beer to demonstrate the effect to the doctor.

Although there are some worrisome causes of facial flushing, such as carcinoid syndrome and pheochromocytoma (both caused by tumors that secrete substances and make blood vessels

dilate), the association with alcohol makes rosacea the more likely diagnosis.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 83-year-old male scheduled to have my left knee replaced in the next month or two. I have been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syn-

drome, type 4. Please let me know if you think it wise, or not, to go ahead with the operation. -D.M.

ANSWER: EhlersDanlos syndrome (EDS) is actually a group of genetic disorders of connective tissue. What was formerly called type 4 EDS is now called the

Because of the hypermobile joints, damage to soft tissue can be extensive in people with hEDS, and joint replacements are more common. They still may be effective, but ideally, they should be done by a surgeon familiar with hEDS. Although the prosthetic joint is very stable, the existing soft tissues and ligaments are at increased risk after replacement surgery, and surgical care needs to be adjusted for your condition.

One of the most important predictors of a good result in joint replacement is the physical therapy done after surgery. This also needs to be tailored to you, as a person with hEDS.

hypermobile subtype of EDS (“hEDS”), and it is the most common form. The diagnosis is made clinically: There are no definitive blood tests, Xray findings or genetic tests that reliably diagnose hEDS.

Keith Roach

Jimmie Johnson retiring from full-time NASCAR

By JENNA FRYER The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson is retiring from full-time racing and will turn his focus toward spending time with family.

He figures his future schedule will include no more than 10 bucket-list events, but the 47-year-old had no idea Monday what that will look like in 2023.

Johnson told The Associated Press he was excited to announce “I’ve got a blank sheet of paper, and we can now see what opportunities exist and start making a calendar.”

Carvana has already told Johnson it will back whatever racing he pursues.

Johnson took two weeks from the IndyCar finale — with a weekend spent in England with Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti at the Goodwood Revival — before finalizing his decision to scale back. He told the AP he didn’t really need the time to ponder his future.

“It’s been an interesting process to feel so fulfilled with the experience and then also try to make a decision,” Johnson said. “In the big scheme of things, there is so much life-planning going on with the kids. We’ve always had an idea of trying to live abroad for a year or two. We love Colorado and want to spend more time there, and there’s just so much swirling personally and professionally that I just wanted to take some time and make the decision not on the back of a positive or negative experience on the racetrack.”

So what is Johnson, who retired from NASCAR in 2020, thinking?

LE MANS

The 24 Hours of Le Mans would be part of the NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports special “Garage 56” entry.

Johnson has said from the start he wants to be part of the three-driver Le Mans lineup, even though its an exhibition for the Next Gen and the car will be alone in its class.

He’d been awaiting the 2023 IndyCar schedule to see if he’d even be available, but will ensure his schedule is clear should NASCAR want its future Hall of Famer to be part of the project.

INDYCAR

Johnson for sure won’t return for a second full IndyCar season with Chip Ganassi Racing. He raced only the street and road courses in 2021, added the ovals

to run the full 2022 season and now isn’t even sure if he’ll run IndyCar at all.

“We are fully supportive of Jimmie. He has been a valued member of our team and if we can find a way to continue working together, we would like to do so,” said team owner Ganassi, who told AP he’d like to run four full-time cars. Now that Johnson has made up his mind not to drive a full season in the No. 48, Ganassi is figuring out how to keep that entry on track.

Johnson struggled on the street and road courses over two seasons, with his best performances on ovals — the discipline he dominated for nearly two decades in NASCAR. He finished an IndyCar-best fifth at Iowa, and although he ultimately crashed out of his Indianapolis 500 debut, Johnson turned laps at over 240 mph in a dazzling qualifying performance.

“I do have a desire to go back, it’s just at this point, I know what’s required to do a full schedule, and I don’t have that in me,” Johnson told AP. “I don’t have that passion that I need for myself to commit myself to a full season.”

BIG IDEA Johnson has said since his 2020 NASCAR retirement that he’d race again in the series in the right opportunity, and is now entertaining the idea of doing “The Double” — the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Kurt Busch was the last driver to attempt the 1,100-mile, two-state odyssey in 2014. Busch fell 200 miles shy of completing it when his engine failed in the NASCAR closer. Tony Stewart, who twice attempted both races, is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles.

John Andretti and Robby Gordon both made attempts before Busch.

Johnson would like to give it a try: He won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway four times, including three consecutive victories from 20032005.

“You know me and endurance sports, and the double sounds awesome,” Johnson told AP. “I’ve always had this respect for the guys who have done the double. I would say it is more of a respect thing than a bucket-list item, and I’d love to put some energy into that idea and see if I can pull it off.”

The other NASCAR events that’s have caught his attention? Next year’s inaugu-

ral race through the downtown streets of Chicago and the AllStar race at North Wilkesboro. Johnson noted as a past winner, he’s got an exemption into both the All-Star race and the exhibition season-opening Clash at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. However, the 2022 NASCAR rules state a driver must be competing full-time to race in the all-star race. WHAT ELSE?

The future in sports car racing is an unknown for Johnson after this weekend’s IMSA season-ending Petit Le Mans. He’s spent the last two seasons running the endurance races in a joint entry with Hendrick and Action Express, but does not expect enough inventory next year when IMSA adopts new cars for Johnson’s project to continue.

He told AP he would consider racing in a lower IMSA category, such as LMP2, and is even curious about the six-race World Endurance Championship. But the WEC Series intrigues him because of its exotic locales — Monza, Italy, Fuji Speedway in Japan, Bahrain — and the love of international travel he shares with his wife and two young daughters.

He and Chani Johnson have explored enrolling their girls in school in either England or France for a year for the experience, and as a hands-on father, Johnson takes an active role in shuttling his daughters to and from their full schedule of sports and activities. Chani Johnson is also a successful owner of an art gallery and is looking to expand her businesses.

“Chani has always supported me to the nth degree and also at the same time had her objectives, desires and pursued her pathway and her career. I think she’s optimistically cautious I follow through with this plan,” Johnson told AP. “But these decisions are based around family needs and demands, and I think it gets tricky and a bit more complicated on my schedule if we can get some traction on travel and living abroad.

“But those are decisions that will come about in the next few months. And so I go into this I would say with no regrets. I look back and definitely learned lessons from what’s happened, good and bad. But I don’t have any pit in my stomach of something left unfinished, or any regrets I might have.”

Wildcats pick up home wins

MORAN — Marmaton Valley Junior High went the distance in picking up a pair of wins Monday.

The Wildcats went the full three sets in both of their A team matches, defeating Northeast-Arma 25-23, 14-25 and 15-10.

Andie Carr led the way with nine points, followed by Addisyn Drake with six, Taylen Blevins and Emma Michael with four each and

Layla Cook with two.

Marmaton Valley followed a similar pattern against Jayhawk-Linn, winning 25-9, 15-25 and 18-16 in a thrilling third set.

Blevins led with 11 points. Drake and Carr followed with six points each. Cook scored five and Jae Beachner had two.

“We had some awesome digs, multiple hits, several tips and very

good serving,” Wildcat head coach Brenda Mills said. “I only had six girls tonight, and they remained focused and worked hard as a team.”

The Wildcat B team defeated Northeast 2513 and 25-18 before falling in three sets to Jayhawk-Linn, 15-25, 25-21 and 15-8. Statistics were unavailable.

The Wildcats host Yates Center Thursday.

NBA: Honoring Bill Russell

Continued from B1

mitment to civil rights.

The NBA has announced that it will retire his No. 6 leaguewide, and every player will wear a black No. 6 patch on his jersey.

The Celtics have other tributes planned, with two nights set aside to honor Russell’s legacy, including the Oct. 18 opener. They have painted the No. 6 in the free throw lane.

“The presence that Bill Russell had — not only on the court, but in the community — it’s something that will always be present, and he’ll always have a legacy because of that,” Celtics forward Grant Williams said, adding that Boston was his grandfather’s favorite team because of Russell. “I’m fortunate to be playing for this organization.”

Players who are already wearing No. 6 can keep it, and Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan was among those who said he would do so to honor Russell’s legacy. (Major League Baseball did the same in 1997 when it retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 across the AL and NL, and Yankees closer Mariano Rivera continued to wear it until he retired in 2013.)

Bulls guard Alex Caruso said he looked into switching his uniform No. 6 this season but was told he had to keep it because he is in the top 75 in jersey sales. Caruso wore No. 4 with

the Lakers but Chicago has retired it for Jerry Sloan and No. 6 was the “best-looking number in the single digits that was left.”

“Obviously, I want to do nothing but honor him and his legacy and what he stood for because he’s one of the pioneers of racial advocacy for the game of basketball in general and just all-around great person,” he said. “I don’t know anybody that talks about him or knew him that had anything negative to say.”

In addition to the jersey patch, teams will also have a No. 6 on their

courts near the scorer’s tables.

“I’m glad we get to remember him like this,” said Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. “He’s definitely watching over the game, watching over our jerseys like, ‘Yep.’ It’s special man. A lot of rings for him.”

It has been a tumultuous offseason for the Celtics, who were two wins from winning an unprecedented 18th NBA championship last season. Over the summer, newly signed free agent Danilo Gallinari tore his ACL and was lost for the season.

Running out of

Marmaton Valley Junior High’s Andie Carr hits the ball in a match against Jayhawk-Linn Monday. Carr later made the match-winning serve in the third set.

PHOTO BY HALIE LUKEN/MVHS

Kansas still on outside looking in at Top 25

By RALPH D. RUSSO The Associated Press

Not quite, Kansas.

A 4-0 start put the Jayhawks atop the others receiving votes pile Sunday in The Associated Press college football poll presented by Regions Bank, 41 points behind No. 25 Kansas State.

The Jayhawks have not been ranked since mid-October 2009, a dry spell of nearly 13 years that is currently the longest among Power Five conference programs.

Getting stuck behind the Sunflower State rivalry must have been particularly annoying to Kansas fans.

The Wildcats moved into the rankings for the first time this season after upsetting Oklahoma in Norman on Saturday. That big win came a week after K-State lost at home to Tulane, which in turn lost to Southern Mississippi on Saturday.

Those types of results can twist voters in knots.

Meanwhile, Kansas and quarterback Jaylon Daniels have rolled through Tennessee Tech, West Virginia, Houston and Duke, with the middle two on the road. Take out the FCS opponent and the Jayhawks have an average margin of victory of 13 points.

They also rank third in the nation behind No. 3 Ohio State and TCU and just ahead of No. 2 Alabama in yards per play (7.80). Nice company.

Kansas’ resume has a similar look to No. 24 Pittsburgh’s. Both beat West Virginia in close games. Both have Group of Five road wins: Kansas at Houston and Pitt at Western Michigan. Both beat FCS schools.

The difference is Pitt lost an OT game to No. 8 Tennessee at home and Kansas handed Duke its first loss of the season.

Close call, but Reality Check says advantage KU. The voters are going to make the Jayhawks do more.

No. 1 Georgia (4-0)

Next: at Missouri, Saturday.

Reality check: An “off” week included outgaining Kent State by 248 yards and turning it over three times. Excuse the Bulldogs being a little bored.

Ranking: Just right.

No. 2 Alabama (4-0)

Next: at No. 20 Arkansas, Saturday.

Reality check: Tide

had a couple weeks of tune-up after Texas to tighten things up before starting a six-game run in the SEC that includes four teams currently ranked in the top 20.

Ranking: Could make a case for Ohio State here.

No. 3 Ohio State (4-0)

Next: vs. Rutgers, Saturday.

Reality check: The highly touted offense seems to get better every week: C.J. Stroud has 16 TD passes and 1,231 yards passing with star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba hardly playing.

Ranking: Little low.

No. 4 Michigan (4-0)

Next: at Iowa, Saturday.

Reality check: RB Blake Corum went for 243 yards on 30 carries in the Wolverines’ first competitive game against Maryland. Michigan doesn’t have a big back like Hassan Haskins to pair with the 5-foot-8, 210-pound Corum this season.

Ranking: Still seems high.

No. 5 Clemson (4-0)

Next: vs. No. 10 North Carolina State, Saturday Reality check: An encouraging performance by QB D.J. Uiagalelei and his receivers against Wake Forest was tempered by the reality that this Clemson D has got a long way to go to be as dominant as advertised.

Ranking: Could be four. Could be eight.

No. 6 Southern California (4-0)

Next: vs. Arizona State, Saturday.

Reality check: Tro-

jans lead the nation in interceptions (11), are tied for the lead in total takeaways (14) and are the only team in the country that has not committed a turnover. Yep, that’ll get you to 4-0.

Ranking: About right.

No. 7 Kentucky (4-0)

Next: at No. 14 Mississippi, Saturday.

Reality check: Been a different kind of Wildcats offense so far, leaning hard on QB Will Levis and big passing plays with a sputtering running game. Expected return of RB Chris Rodriguez could change that.

Ranking: Touch high.

No. 8 Tennessee (4-0)

Next: at LSU, Oct. 8.

Reality check: Not sure we are really appreciating the awesomeness of QB Hendon Hooker, who has yet to throw an interception and ran for 112 yards against Florida.

Ranking: Little low. No. 9 Oklahoma State (3-0)

Next: at No. 16 Baylor, Saturday.

Reality check: Cowboys have solidified a top-10 spot without much of a resume as six top-10 teams have lost in the first four weeks.

Ranking: Too high.

No. 10 North Carolina State (4-0)

Next: at No. 5 Clemson, Saturday.

Reality check: The Wolfpack lead the ACC in interceptions with seven, including two apiece from DBs Tyler Baker-Williams and Aydan White, and should be a good barometer for just how much

Clemson’s passing game has improved.

Ranking: Touch low.

No. 11 Penn State (40)

Next: vs. Northwestern, Saturday.

Reality check: Led by rangy CB Joey Porter Jr., the Nittany Lions average 11.25 passes defended per game — three more than any other team.

Ranking: Too low.

No. 12 Utah (3-1)

Next: vs. Oregon State, Saturday.

Reality check: Utes have been rolling since leaving The Swamp disappointed in Week 1, but took a big loss against Arizona State when leading receiver and TE Brant Kuithe left with a leg injury.

Ranking: Too high. No. 13 Oregon (3-1) Next: vs. Stanford, Saturday.

Reality check: It wasn’t just Georgia. Pass defense is a problem. The Ducks are allowing 72.5% of passes to be completed, third worst in the country.

Ranking: About right. No. 14 Mississippi (40)

Next: vs. No. 8 Kentucky, Saturday.

Reality check: Running Rebels are averaging 281 yards per game on the ground behind the combination of transfer Zach Evans (365 yards and four touchdowns) and freshman

Quinshon Judkins (429 and five).

Ranking: Too high. No. 15 Washington (4-0)

Next: at UCLA, Friday night.

Reality check: QB Michael Penix Jr.’s return to health has gotten a lot of attention, but thirdyear WRs Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan have blossomed as well.

Ranking: About right.

No. 16 Baylor (3-1)

Next: vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State, Saturday.

Reality check: Bears lead the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns with 15, led by freshman RB Richard Reese’s six.

Ranking: Little high.

No. 17 Texas A&M (31)

Next: at Mississippi State, Saturday.

Reality check: Aggies have thrown for a total of 388 yards against three FBS opponents and might be without leading receiver Ainias Smith, who left the Arkansas game with an apparent leg injury, for a while.

Ranking: Too high. No. 18 Oklahoma (31)

Next: at TCU, Saturday.

Reality check: No, Brent Venables was not able to make all Oklahoma’s defense issues go away in his first season as coach.

Ranking: Too high. No. 19 BYU (3-1)

Next: vs. Utah State, Thursday.

Reality check: Young WRs Keanu Hill (20.21 yards per catch) and Chase Roberts (14.87) have filled a void left by injuries.

Ranking: Touch low.

No. 20 Arkansas (3-1)

Next: vs. No. 2 Alabama, Saturday.

Reality check: A fumble at the goal line and a doink off the top of an upright kept the Razorbacks from a 4-0 start The schedule is unrelenting for the next three weeks.

Ranking: Little low. No. 21 Minnesota (40)

Next: vs. Purdue, Saturday.

Reality check: Hard to overstate just how dominant the Gophers have been — albeit against iffy competition — in their own plodding way. They lead the nation in time of possession (40:34) by four minutes and in runs of at least 10 yards with 41.

Ranking: Little low.

No. 22 Wake Forest (3-1)

Next: at No. 23 Florida State, Saturday.

Reality check: The latest model from the Wake Forest receiver machine is Jahmal Banks, who has 12 catches for 196 yards and four touchdowns the past two games.

Ranking: Just right. No. 23 Florida State (4-0)

Next: vs. No. 22 Wake Forest, Saturday.

Reality check: Seminoles are ranked for the first time in four years and the turnaround has signs of being real with a top-20 offense (7.27 yards per play) and top40 defense (4.91 ypp).

Ranking: Fair to go slow with Florida State. No. 24 Pittsburgh (31)

Next: vs. Georgia Tech, Saturday.

Reality check: Somebody needs to go out of these rankings for Kansas and unfortunately Pitt is it.

Ranking: Too high. No. 25 Kansas State (3-1)

Next: vs. Texas Tech, Saturday.

Reality check: The Adrian Martinez that was promised arrived against Oklahoma, with 382 total yards and five touchdowns.

Ranking: Just right.

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) of the Kansas Jayhawks runs for a 3-yard touchdown past Duke’s Chandler Rivers (0) during the second half of the Jayhawks’ 35-27 victory. The 4-0 start to the 2022 season has KU on the cusp of a Top-25 ranking. GETTY IMAGES/JAY BIGGERSTAFF/TNS

Husband ‘really upset’ he can’t pick spouse’s new car

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Dear Carolyn: The first brand-new car I ever bought, my boy friend (now husband), helped me pick out. He’s really into cars and knew a lot more than I did at the time. He pret ty much picked out the car and I agreed to it. Over the years I came to realize it wasn’t really my first choice.

It’s time for me to get a new car again. We keep our finances sepa rate and each contribute a set amount to our joint checking and joint sav ings/investments. I’ve been saving, separately, and I have enough to put a pretty big down pay ment and finance the rest for only a year or two.

My husband started showing me his ideas on what car I should buy, but I told him I want to do this on my own. I want to do my own re search, take test drives on my own, basically I want to buy the car without his help. To my surprise, he’s really up set about this. He told me he feels rejected and hurt and thinks I will get taken advantage of.

My job includes ne

CRYPTOQUOTES

Carolyn Hax

Tell Me About It

gotiating with vendors so that’s ridiculous. He has bought two new cars since we’ve been together and I’ve nev er been consulted on them — which was fine but now it’s my turn, I think. I just want to pick my own car — is that so much to ask? What can I say to my husband to help him understand where I’m coming from?

— Unreasonable? Unreasonable?: Oh for fox’s sake, no, it’s not unreasonable for you to pick out the car you will be driving.

So: “This is the car I will be driving. I decide whether I like driving it.”

He has expertise in cars, but you have ex pertise in you. You win.

Don’t explain it beyond one final, “My car, my choice.” The taken-ad vantage-of part, well, I could go off on multiple rants there, but I won’t, except to say it’s about his spinning things to his advantage at your expense to maintain

control over you. Hold firm. I hope he won’t pout for too long.

READERS’ thoughts:

— The point is “I want to pick it based on what I value in a car. Not what YOU value you in a car, which may not match up with what I am looking for.”

Would you feel com fortable letting him know what you choose and allowing him to weigh in on any poten tial issues he sees? It’s fine if the answer is no, you wouldn’t feel comfortable. But it could also be useful for you to hear if he has any knowledge about this particular car that would be an issue. And still move forward hav ing heard him, regard less of whether you take his advice.

As far as getting tak en advantage of, “Wow, I’m amazed you think so little of my ability to understand basic ne gotiating. THAT’s hurt ful to me.” To borrow a phrase: Return that awkward to sender.

— No, no, no, to ask ing his thoughts on the choice if she doesn’t want to do that. Adults can make this decision just fine. I have always

bought cars on my own. I’m not an expert on cars. I can research and find excellent cars I like, and I’m also a good nego tiator.

ME again. Count me as another no, no, no vote on calling in the spousal consult. Don’t feed the helplessness narrative. Thanks.

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote: It’s not the voting that’s democracy; it’s the counting. — Tom Stoppard

by Chance Browne

ZITS

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY

by Mort Walker HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

by Chris Browne FUNKY WINKERBEAN

by Tom Batiuk

BLONDIE

by Young and Drake

MARVIN

by Tom Armstrong

HI AND LOIS